chapter 65
JAKE—A TYPICAL Baptist—sat on the back pew, staring past the music minister at the choir, which was singing “Blessed Assurance.” Next to him, Morgan wrote a check for their tithe and then placed it into a small envelope. On Jake’s other side, Katy had gotten comfortable and was almost asleep. Jake resisted the urge to elbow her like his momma would have done to him. But he knew she was exhausted, because he was too.
Jake had spent over an hour last night and then again this morning looking for Scout. She sometimes got confused, but it wasn’t like the old Lab to just wander off. He couldn’t help but think that she had been stolen.
As he looked around the congregation, Jake considered that no one knew of his problems. He was alone in a tough situation. He thought about the words on the napkin and imagined how cold and calculated the note appeared. A chill went up his spine when he thought about how close to his family Moon Pie had actually been.
As the lights dimmed and the preacher stepped into the pulpit, Jake whispered to Morgan, asking if he could borrow a pen. Briefly, she thought that he was going to take notes about the sermon, but then she realized he was going to make a to-do list. As she opened her purse wide in search of the pen, Jake saw her pistol resting in a side pocket. He pointed at it, and when they made eye contact, she shrugged her shoulders. Jake was surprised she had brought a weapon into church.
He scribbled a note on the back of the bulletin: “Did you bring it on purpose?”
She took the pen from his hand and wrote, “Yes.”
Jake took the pen and looked up at the preacher, who seemed to be looking straight at him. When the preacher finally looked away, Jake pulled up his right pant leg above his boots so Morgan could see the handle of his pistol. “Me too.”
Morgan then wrote: “Good! Listen to the sermon. You need to set an example for Katy.” She underlined you and example.
Jake sighed and looked down at Katy, who was sound asleep, and then up at the preacher, who was hitting his ministerial stride. Jake folded his arms and crossed his legs in an effort to get comfortable.
When Jake realized that the sermon was about vengeance, he decided to pay attention.